Never Alone
by randomteenager
Summary: You told me to call, said you'd be there. And though I haven't seen you, are you still there? [SasuSaku] [Slight NaruSaku]


**A/N:** **This is another shot at writing a SongFic, so I hope you like it. **

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or Never Alone by BarlowGirl.

**Never Alone**

Summary: "And though you're invisible, I trust the unseen." [SasuSaku [Slight NaruSaku

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The rain poured hard on the ground, the crystal clear droplets hitting the cement with force. Sakura walked back inside the gates of Konoha, having just come back from a mission with Naruto by her side.

"Do you think the Ichiraku is open?" Naruto asked. He looked over at Sakura, then his cerulean blue eyes pointed upward, staring at the sky. The pink-haired girl beside him had been silent the rest of the way home, and Naruto didn't want to bother her about it.

The future Hokage-to-be already knew why she was silent in the first place. Her usual bright green eyes were a darker shade of jade, and her eyes were glazed over, meaning that she was deep in thought. "Naruto…" Sakura said slowly.

They were both walking inside Konohagakure until Sakura stopped walking when she called out his name. "Hmm?" Naruto replied as he stopped walking as well, turning to glance at Sakura curiously.

"Can you see it?" Sakura asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Naruto raised an eyebrow, and Sakura pointed her emerald green gaze to the floor. "Can't you tell?"

"Tell what, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked. "What are you talking about?"

The rain continued to pour, damping both Sakura's and Naruto's hair. Sakura looked up, letting the raindrops hit her porcelain face. She stared at something, and Naruto followed her gaze. She was staring at a bright, full moon. "This was the night Sasuke-kun left," she whispered.

_I waited for You today_

_But You didn't show_

_No. No. No._

_I needed You today_

_So where did you go?_

A frown formed on Naruto's face. "Sakura-chan…" Naruto said, choosing his words carefully so he wouldn't say the wrong thing to the kunoichi. "It's been three years…"

"I want him back," Sakura stated, turning to look at the kyuubi vessel. "Naruto, why can't we go get him back? You promised me you would, and it's been three years, and he still isn't back."

Guilt panged at Naruto's heart. "Sakura-chan… it isn't easy, and I've been trying to convince Tsunade-baachan to let us go after him again but she won't listen to me. Just give it more time, I'll keep my promise, I'll get him back!"

"It's been three years…" Sakura said quietly, repeating Naruto's words. "You'll keep your promise?"

Naruto gave her a sincere smile, "Of course I will, Sakura-chan. I'll give my life to bring him back for you, to see you really happy again!" Sakura looked up at him, giving him a genuine smile. "Now, come on Sakura-chan, let's go turn in the mission report to Tsunade-baachan and maybe we can go back to my place and eat some ramen or—"

"You really are a good friend, Naruto," The Hokage's apprentice said, her genuine smile still on her face. "I'm glad you're here, someone I can really depend on." Naruto chuckled, bending his arm behind his head and scratching his blond hair.

_Too bad Sasuke-kun couldn't keep that promise,_ Sakura thought in her mind, remembering the times Team Kakashi were all genin. A three-man squad; one group.

_You told me to call_

_Said You'd be there_

_And though I haven't seen You_

_Are You still there?_

"I'll be here for you to depend on, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, a sheepish grin on his features. "You should know that by now." They continued walking down the streets of Konoha, until Sakura noticed something that caught her eye.

A bench.

But not just any ordinary bench; it was _the_ bench. The bench he had left her on that cold night, knocked out. That bench held the dearest of her memories, since it was the last time Sakura had seen Sasuke.

Sakura stopped walking, turning her body so she was facing the concrete bench. Naruto, who hadn't noticed her stopping because he was talking, continued speaking. "Tsunade-baachan said that this mission would take a long time, but it barely took us a few days! I mean, sometimes I think Tsunade-baachan underestimates our skill and—Sakura-chan?"

He stopped walking, a few yards ahead from where Sakura was standing. He saw her emerald green eyes, glued to the bench. But her face showed no anguish, no sadness. But her face wasn't happy either. It was just dazed, her eyes glazed over as she stared at it.

_I didn't even notice it,_ Naruto admitted in his mind. When he and Sakura were walking, he had a feeling he was missing something, but he pushed the feeling to the back of his mind.

Sakura walked to the bench, sitting down on it, her hands by her side. She leaned back on it, closing her eyes as a gentle breeze blew by, swaying her unique pink hair slowly. "Sasuke-kun…" Sakura mumbled under her breath. She was remembering the morning she had woken up from the bench, alone and by herself.

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"_You shouldn't sleep out here, you'll catch a cold," one of the Chuunin's said as they both carried paperwork for Tsunade at four in the morning. Hearing the voice, Sakura closed her eyes tightly, slowly opening up the jade green orbs._

_The instant memory played in her mind. "Arigatou," Sasuke said to her. Sakura woke up, gasping when she felt the morning beams hit her face._

"_Sasuke-kun!" she cried out. She immediately realized he had left, leaving her behind, and flows of tears began escaping her eyes._

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_I cried out with no reply and_

_I can't feel You by my side_

_So I'll hold tight to what I know_

_You're here and I'm never alone._

"Sakura-chan…?" Naruto whispered quietly. He had walked beside her, carefully sitting beside her on the bench. He remembered when she'd have these moments when they had gone out not long after Naruto had come back to Konohagakure.

They had been together for a few weeks, and every so often Sakura would zone out, thinking about the raven-haired shinobi, and although Naruto would try his best to ignore it and Sakura would apologize for thinking of him, it didn't work out. Naruto ended the relationship, telling Sakura that a relationship was too complicated for the both of them, and they should just stick to their brother-sister relationship.

"I miss the old Team Kakashi," Sakura muttered to the blond-haired ninja beside her, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. "But I guess I should be focusing on the present, and forget about the past."

"It's okay to think of the past, Sakura-chan," Naruto told her. "Just as long as you don't let it control your life." _Like how Sasuke-teme's past controlled him into focusing on revenge,_ Naruto added in his mind mentally.

"I always loved coming to training everyday," the pink-haired kunoichi said. "Being with you and Sasuke-kun… yelling at Kakashi-sensei for being late…" she trailed off, her eyes glazing over once again. _I l also loved training since Sasuke-kun was there and I always had him to look forward to,_ The medic nin thought truthfully in her head.

_And though I cannot see You_

_and I can't explain why_

_Such a deep, deep reassurance_

_You've placed in my life oh_

"We're still Team Kakashi," Naruto reasoned. "You still have me and Kakashi-sensei here, and Sasuke-teme will come back. It'll be just like the old times again!" He grinned at her, and Sakura couldn't help but give him a small smile back.

The rain had let up, and the day had become hazy. The air had become misty, and puddles were left on the ground from the earlier raining. The sun shone, but barely as a thick cloud was in front of it.

"We're still one?" Sakura whispered to him. "We're still a three-man squad?" She looked at Naruto with hopeful eyes, and he couldn't help but keep his sheepish grin plastered on his face.

"We'll always be a three-man squad!" Naruto exclaimed. "Well, two-man and one-woman squad." Sakura giggled quietly and Naruto beamed at her. He loved it when she laughed, because then he knew that she wasn't depressed over Sasuke.

_We cannot separate_

_'Cause You're part of me_

_and though You're invisible_

_I trust the unseen_

A whirlwind blew, and a shadow appeared in the trees. Naruto and Sakura were oblivious to the shadow since it had concealed its chakra, and they made no move that acknowledged its presence.

Sakura sighed once again. "Ne, Sakura-chan, how about we go talk about this over a steaming hot bowl of ramen at Ichiraku?" Naruto suggested once again. "Just like we used to?"

Sakura looked at him, the small smile still on her face. "Naruto, is that all you think about? Ramen?" she teased him, smiling wider at him. Naruto chuckled, and Sakura said, "Okay then Naruto, let's go—" She stopped, her eyes widening like saucers. Her mouth gaped, and Naruto raised an eyebrow at her expression.

"Sakura-chan…?" he said, following her gaze until his cerulean blue eyes widened as well, his mouth gaping.

Spiky raven hair. Flawless pale skin. Piercing onyx eyes. A stoic expression. Strong chakra emitting from his body. But there was something about him that struck pain into Sakura's heart. He was bleeding, and it wasn't a minor cut. He was bleeding heavily on his right arm, his left hand gripping the area where he was bleeding.

Her throat went dry as she tried to call out his name. She was trying to force her voice out, to say something to the man that haunted her for three years. "S… Sasuke-kun…" her mouth slipped out hoarsely. _You're… you're bleeding…!_

Her body was still in complete shock. Naruto stared at the raven-haired man, watching Sasuke smirk bitterly at the both of them. "Surprise," he said to them. Blood still flowed down his arm, trailing down it and creating red blotches on the cement below them.

"Sasuke-teme…" Naruto said, his eyes narrowing, his fists curling up into fists. His teeth clenched, and Sasuke's smirk grew wider. "You bastard… you come back to us when you're dying…" Naruto said through clenched teeth.

_I cried out with no reply_

_And I can't feel You by my side_

_So I'll hold tight to what I know_

_You're here and I'm never alone_

Sasuke grunted, then locked his onyx eyes with Sakura's. Sakura finally regained her composure after Naruto said his last statement. _Dying?_ she thought. The word painfully echoed in her mind multiple times. _No… he can't be dying… not now!_

_**Don't just stand there! Heal him! **_**Heal him!** Inner Sakura yelled franticly. _**You're going to lose him if you don't**_ **heal him!** Sakura walked forward, touching his arm that was bleeding, her hand over his hand that was over his blood.

His eyes bored into hers, watching her every move, an impassive expression plastered on his face. Sakura's jade green eyes stared at the wound, studying it, then looked at his face, pain flashing on her eyes. She couldn't handle this—not now. The boy that she wanted in her presence was finally there, but he wasn't going to be there long.

"Why didn't you come here before?" she whispered. She knew there was nothing that could be done. Yes, it was just a big gash in his arm, but there were also other wounds that could not be seen by the naked eye. Sakura's trained medical eyes saw that in his body there were internal punctures, and they were powerful enough to give him barely a half hour to live.

"I beat him," Sasuke muttered to her, eyes still locked with hers. "I finally killed Itachi." Sakura looked at him with glossy eyes as they began to water, filling with unshed tears as her lower lip quivered. She turned around, painfully looking at Naruto who watched them.

"I'll… I'll go get Tsunade-baachan," Naruto said quietly, disappearing in a flash. He knew she was silently asking him to leave with her eyes, and although he wanted to be with his raven-haired best friend while he was dying, he knew Sakura wanted—_needed_ it a lot more than he did.

The tears in Sakura's eyes let loose, but no sobs escaped her mouth. She removed the bleeding with the green glow that formed on her hands; after all, that was all she could do. "Why'd you have to come here?" Sakura said to him. "Why didn't you just die so we wouldn't have to see it? So _I_ wouldn't have to see it?"

"If you found out later, it would've been worse," Sasuke told her. "I came here so it would lessen the pain."

"You can't just leave me like this!" she whispered harshly to him. Sasuke dragged his body over to the bench, dropping his body down on it as Sakura followed suit. Sasuke closed his dark onyx orbs, a cruel smirk forming on his pale face.

"I killed Orochimaru the minute he tried to take my body," he told her. "I was going to come back here, to this pathetic little village, but I had things to take care of."

"You had to avenge your clan," she clarified for him. She scooted over to him, her eyes locked on the ground, gently resting her head on his shoulder. Since the bleeding had stopped, Sasuke let his left arm rest beside his body.

"You know I don't have long to live, Sakura."

"I know," Sakura said, her flowing tears making a moist spot on his shoulder. He opened his eyes, his head still laid back.

"Watch over the dobe," Sasuke mentioned in a controlled tone. "Make sure he doesn't get into stupid shit like he normally does."

"This isn't fair Sasuke-kun," Sakura mumbled. "You can't just come here _now_—you should've just let me find out the news. Then it wouldn't be this hard to let you go in less than five minutes. I want you here, with me, with Naruto, with Kakashi-sensei. Naruto promised me we'd all be Squad 7 again. _Team Kakashi_ again."

Her answer to that was silence.

_We cannot separate_

_You're part of me_

_and though You're invisible_

_I trust the unseen_

"Take this," he said to her in a stoic voice. He reached down to his sheath, taking it out from the grip on his pants and giving it to her, laying it down across her lap.

"Your… your sword?" the kunoichi whispered. She could feel fresh tears welling up n her eyes.

Sakura couldn't handle it anymore. She turned his face, making him look at her, and crushed her lips again his, desperately trying to savor the feeling. She pulled back, turning away from him. The Uchiha's expression didn't changed.

"Better?" Sasuke asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Just a few minutes left now."

"Shut up," Sakura mumbled. Sasuke put his head back, his eyes closing once again.

"Sasuke-kun…" she said, and he opened on of his eyes to her. "I still love you, you know."

"I know," Sasuke said back to her. "That's why I came back." Then Sakura saw his body tense, and then relax. Her heartbeat increased erratically, wondering if her worst fear had come true. Sakura sniffled as she put her ear on his heart, listening anxiously to hear a slow, steady beat.

But there was none.

This time the sobs choked out of her mouth, and she buried her face in her hands. Rustles from the bushes were heard, and Sakura looked up through glossy eyes, seeing Naruto with a sad look on his whiskery face.

"His… his heart's not beating…" she said to Naruto in a hushed tone. "He won't wake up Naruto… he's never going to wake up…!"

"Sakura-chan…" he said quietly. He knew that Sasuke was dead; after all, he hadn't really left when he said he was going to get Tsunade. He just disappeared, reappearing a few meters away, and thanks to his sharp vision and extra sharp hearing, he had witnessed everything that happened.

He walked over to the crying pink-haired kunoichi, gently scooping her up in his arms so that she was standing and held her in his strong arms in a tight embrace as she sobbed in his chest. His hand rubbed up and down her back at an attempt to soothe her.

"Sasuke-kun…!" Sakura chanted, repeating his name over and over again hysterically. Naruto rested his chin on the top of her head, sighing as he tried to calm her. His cerulean blue eyes lingered over to Sasuke's body. _We should give him a proper funeral,_ he thought as despair twisted its way into his heart. He looked down at the sobbing medic nin in his arms. _I'll do it later, for Sakura-chan's sake._

"He was a good guy," Naruto said in a discreetly quiet voice, intending for Sakura to hear. "Even though he left, he wanted you to stay for your own protection." Naruto gave a sad smile as his cerulean eyes lingered on the body of his friend and rival. "Don't cry, Sakura-chan…" he whispered, rubbing her back soothingly.

"He'll be with us in our memories. Always."

_I cried out with no reply_

_and I can't feel You by my side_

_So I'll hold tight to what I know_

_You're here and I'm never alone_

**Fin**

**A/N:**** Even having edited this I still don't think from about the part where Sasuke comes in until the end was the best I could write. But eh, I try. I don't really like the last line though, it's not very Naruto-esque. But then again, I don't really know how to rap up this story anyway. Eh, I try. Well, read and Review!**


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